Ladybug held onto the iron girder of the Eiffel tower and felt her grip weaken, her arm began to shake with the strain and try as she might she couldn't raise her body enough to hook her legs over the ledge, her energy was spent. She looked down to the street to where her yoyo had fallen and felt her breath hitch in her throat, she couldn't hold on anymore. Her fingers began to slip and she let out a yelp as she felt herself begin to plummet toward the Paris cobbles below.

"Look out!" she heard as something slammed into her body, sending her flying sideways and felt her back hitting the Eiffel tower hard. She looked up into the brilliantly green eyes on Chat Noir who smiled back at her.

"Nice of you to drop in", she panted,

"I always knew you'd fall for me one day", he replied, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sorry Kitty, you'll have to move faster than that to catch this bug", she smiled.

Suddenly there was a scream from down below as the Akumatized school janitor used his weaponized mop to stick another child to the ground with bright pink bubble gum.

"I need my yoyo", Said Ladybug, Chat nodded and extended his stick which lengthened to the ground.

"Going down", said Chat, taking Ladybug around the waist and dropping through the air as the stick began to shrink back to normal size.

Ladybug ran and snatched up her yoyo before using it to swing across to where the Janitor was terrorizing his victims.

"Chewing gum and wrappers everywhere, all for me to clean, well clean this!" Roared the Janitor, sticking three kids to a wall simultaneously.

"Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" Called Lady bug, using her yoyo to knock his mop from his hands but as she swung toward him to snatch it away the Janitor rolled across the floor and managed to grab it just in time to stick Lady bug to a lamp post.

She wriggled desperately but she was stuck fast, at that moment Chat, leaping to avoid a chewing gum attack of his own, landed beside her and flashed his teeth with a debonair smile.

"What a sticky situation, my lady", he grinned,

"Enough with the one liner's Chat, can you get me out of this?" Ladybug sighed,

"CATACLYSM!" Chat called on his special power causing his hand to become shrouded by black, shifting bubbles that popped and a reappeared at will. He pressed his hand against the pink barrier that turned to brown rust and disintegrated into powder.

"Good work, Kitty cat", replied Marinette, before swinging her arm over her head and extending her yoyo high into the air.

"LUCKY CHARM!" She cried, her yoyo became engulfed in ladybirds, scattering outward until they dissipated, leaving a cork suspended above her which fell into Marinette's outheld hand.

"A cork?" She puzzled,

"Let's hope you're able to put a stopper in the situation", joked Chat.

Ladybug shook her head then looked around for a way to use her Luckycharm against the Janitor.

"Think, Ladybug", she said to herself, suddenly she saw the pattern, Chat Noir's stick, the awning over the bakers across the road, the Janitor's weaponized mop with the opening in the end where the bubble gum was being fired from.

"Chat, cover me!" She shouted, Chat nodded and as Ladybug ran toward the shop behind the Janitor, Chat span his stick, deflecting the chewing gum as it shot toward them. Ladybug threw the cork, hard, it spun through the air, hit the awning and ricochet back toward the Janitor, perfectly connecting with the end of the mop, blocking its powers.

"Time to take a trip", said Ladybug, using her yoyo to entangle the Janitors legs and sending him flying onto his back, his mop flew from his hands and was swiftly deflected by Chat Noir and caught by Ladybug who snapped its stem over her knee, releasing the Akuma within.

"No more evil doing for you little Akuma", she smiled as she swiped a finger down her yoyo which opened like the wings of a lady bird with a glowing, white light within. She swung the yoyo around, leaving a trail of light and as she shouted, "time to de-evil-ise!" the yoyo extended, coming into contact with the Akuma and trapping it inside.

"Gotcha!" She said triumphantly as she caught the yoyo again in her hand and pressing it's surface it opened once more to release the now, white Akuma, cleansed of its evil potential.

"Bye, bye, little butterfly", she waved as it fluttered away and the Janitor was transformed back into his original state in a wave of black and purple cloud.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" Marinette threw the cork into the air, creating another burst of magical Ladybirds that fluttered away, spreading their cleansing power through the city, stripping the streets of indestructible chewing gum and releasing the children.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir said simultaneously, bumping fists together in celebration.

"What am I doing here?" Asked the Janitor, pulling himself to his feet in a confused way.

"You got sick of the kids at the school sticking gum all over the place and when a certain student laughed at you and threw gum into your hair you let your anger get the better of you", explained Ladybug.

"Yep, you got Akumatised, but we saved you", added Chat, putting his arm around Ladybug's shoulders. She gave him a stern look and he pulled it back and rubbed the back his neck, grinning apologetically.

"Oh dear, I hope no one was injured!" Said the school janitor,

"It's okay sir, you weren't yourself, everything's fine now", smiled Marinette.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir!" came the calls of the reporters, "Is the city safe again? Where are the Akuma's coming from?"

"Now, now", said Chat Noir, stepping forward, "the situation is totally over for now and you can always rely on me and Ladybug to keep the streets safe", he gave Ladybug a 'thumbs up' and she nodded back, just then Chat's ring began to beep.

"Time for this cat to pounce", he extended his pole and leap onto a nearby building, disappearing over the roof tops.

"So long!" Called Ladybug as she flicked her wrist and her yoyo connected with a nearby lamp post and she swung herself gracefully in another direction, too seeming to be gone without a trace.

"Oh, em, gee, girl! Did you see Ladybug in action yesterday?" Said Alya, flipping excitedly through her phone.

"Oh, erm… yeah, on the news, I was revising for the test on Friday", lied Marinette, smiling awkwardly at her best friend.

"It was totally, freaking, awesome!" Alya cried, showing her phone to Marinette where Ladybug was seen pinned to the Eiffel Tower by Chat Noir, "they look pretty close", Alya winked.

"Chat Noir and Ladybug?" Laughed Marinette, "I imagine when you're fighting crime you don't have a lot of time to think about personal boundaries".

"Whatever, girl, I know the look of love when I see it", said Alya, zooming in on Chat's flirtatious smile but when she turned to show Marinette, she was leaning on the wall of the school steps, staring dreamily at the blonde haired, green eyed boy that had just stepped out of his limousine.

"But I suppose I don't need to tell you about the look of love", sighed Alya, "When are you going to tell Adrien you're in love with him?"

Marinette leapt and threw her hand over her friend's mouth, her eyes wide with fear,

"Not so loud, Alya!" She begged.

"Okay, sorry!" Said Alya, pushing Marinette's hand away, "you should talk to him Marinette, he's just a boy",

"The perfect boy", sighed Marinette with a hint of sadness in her voice.

The school bell rang and all the students, including Adrien, began heading up the steps toward class, Marinette still blushing at the sight of him.

Once in the classroom Marinette took her seat and continued to stare lovingly at the back of his head before the silence was broken by the sound of Chloe Bourgeoise.

"I'm so sick of this stupid school and its total low standards, I can't believe they'd give me an F! Me! I'm the only thing that makes this dump worth coming to, well, me and Adrikins of course", she said, waving at Adrien who gave a half-hearted, uncomfortable looking wave back.

Chloe smiled and removed her chewing gum from her mouth, sticking it under the desk.

"Chloe, what is wrong with you? You just got the school janitor Akumatised yesterday by flicking your gum in his hair when he asked you to stop sticking it under your desk, do you never learn?" Scolded Alya,

"As if! It wasn't my fault, that janitor was unstable to begin with, I've already told my daddy he should be fired!"

"What a bitch!" Whispered Alya, Marinette placed a hand on Alya's arm and squeezed in a comforting way, giving her a look that said, "I know, but don't rise to it".

At the end of class Chloe was still talking about herself and Alya looked ready to pop,

"Are you coming, Alya?" asked Marinette, heading for the door,

"Yeah, just a second, I'll meet you outside", said Alya, still putting her books into her bag.

Marinette headed out with her other class mates and Alya finished packing away her things.

"I told my daddy, my party had better be the best thing Paris has ever seen", continued Chloe to her friend Sabrina Raincomprix, "I made him buy me this diamond necklace so I'd really stand out and you just know I'll be the bell of the ball, especially with my sweet Adrikins on my arm", she took a hold of the golden chain around her neck and held it out for Sabrina to admire the diamond heart suspended there.

Alya snorted derisively as she walked past Chloe, toward the door.

"And what was that supposed to mean?" Demanded Chloe, snapping her head around to stare distastefully at Alya,

"It means you're crazy, girl, if you think Adrien is even slightly interested in you", smirked Alya, "He only puts up with you because, unlike you, he's actually nice".

"Oh, look, Sabrina, someone's jealous, got a little crush on my boyfriend, do you?" Asked Chloe, folding her arms smugly.

"Boyfriend? You do know for him to be your boyfriend he has to actually agree?" Laughed Alya, "Any way, there's no point in you even trying with Adrien because word on the grape vine is he has a thing for Marinette", lied Alya, turning to leave.

"That's a lie!" Cried Chloe, "He wouldn't look at that fashion disaster if you paid him!"

"Well I heard they already went on a date", continued Alya, enjoying the look of fury on Chloe's face.

"They did not!" Roared Chloe,

"I heard", continued Alya, the fun of upsetting Chloe filling her with satisfaction, "that they kissed",

With that Chloe's face turned purple with rage and Alya left the room, laughing wickedly.

"It's okay Chloe, Alya's just trying to upset you", soothed Sabrina,

"Shut up!" Roared Chloe, causing Sabrina to grab her books and flee.

In a dark attic, a tall, masked figure stood alone, surrounded by brilliant, white, butterflies. In front of him a circular window appears, growing larger until he and his butterflies are bathed in light.

"Ahhh, yes", he said with a smile, "Such anger, such resentment, such delicious jealousy, perfect prey for my little Akuma's", the man's voice was rasping and cruel, he extended a hand for one of the butterflies to land delicately on his palm. He placed his other hand over the top of it, gently so as not to cause any harm and watched as a black and purple cloud engulfed the creature within his grasp. When he opened his hands again, the butterfly had turned black with purple cracks streaking it's wings here and there.

"Fly away my dark Akuma and Evil-ise her!" He commanded, the butterfly flapped its sable wings and headed out of the window and across Paris.

"That horrible, common Marinette Dupain-Cheng! How dare she lay her hands on my Adrien?" Chloe fumed, her hands clenched into fists at her side.

Suddenly the Akuma came fluttering into the room toward Chloe but she was so busy concentrating on her rage that she didn't notice it make contact with her diamond necklace.

The butterfly fused with the necklace, disappearing as the jewel began to glow a dark purple, simultaneously a pink colour appeared around Chloe's eyes and a butterfly shaped light outlined them as the voice of Hawkmoth, the Akuma master, spoke.

"Breathless-Beauty", rasped Hawkmoth, "I am Hawkmoth, I can give you the power to take anyone's breath away with just a kiss and you can start with the girl who tried to steal your beloved, but you must agree to help me claim Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses!"

"Yes Hawkmoth", agreed Chloe, grinning wickedly as black and purple smoke spread across her body, transforming her. She wore a black, elegant gown with a black and purple tiara, purple lipstick and long purple nails. Her hair was purple and white striped and on her feet she wore tall, black heels.

"I'm coming for you, Marinette".

"What took you so long?" Asked Marinette as Alya came toward her down the school steps,

"Oh, I was just winding up Chloe", smiled Alya, joining her friends side, Marinette frowned.

"That never ends well, Alya, I hope you didn't upset her too much",

"Who cares?" Smiled Alya, "She's always upsetting everyone else, anyway, there's no time to talk to me, look who's waving at you!"

Marinette looked up to see Adrien and his best friend Nino standing side by side, Adrien was waving at them jovially, trying to get their attention.

"Oh my god! What do I do?" Panicked Marinette,

"Erm, talk!" Laughed Alya, pushing Marinette forward who hadn't seen Adrien was already running toward them and she fell clumsily into his open arms.

"Careful!" Called out Adrien, pulling her close so she didn't hit the floor,

"ADRIEN!" She shrieked, pulling back in such shock that she fell out of his arms and onto the floor.

"Oh… sorry", he said, holding out his hand to help her to her feet.

Slowly Marinette took his hand, she allowed him to help her up and then just smiled, dumbstruck, unable to think of a single thing to do or say.

"Can I have my hand back?" Asked Adrien,

"Oh, yes, sorry!" She released his hand like it was on fire then grinned maniacally at him before Alya stepped in.

"What's up?"

"Oh, me and Nino were thinking of going to get a coffee, seeing as today is one of the few days I don't have any modelling assignments, Nino was going to invite you and I thought Marinette might like to come?" Adrien explained.

"You hear that, Marinette? Adrien's inviting you out for coffee", beamed Alya, "What do you say to that?"

"I say… I say… I say", stuttered Marinette,

"She says she's otherwise engaged!" Came the echoing, cold voice of Breathless Beauty.

The friend group looked up to see, hovering above them, an Akumatised Chloe Bourgeoise, staring down with malice in her eyes.

"Jeez!" Cried Nino, "What's with the goth princess?"

"I am Breathless Beauty and I'm here for Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"

"Quick Marinette!" Called out Adrien, but before Marinette could argue he had a hold of her wrist and was pulling her along toward the waiting limousine. He threw her inside, jumped in beside her and slammed the door before shouting, "drive!"

The limo set off at high speed, Adrien turned to see if he could spot Breathless-Beauty from the rear window but she seemed to have disappeared.

"I think I should get out here", said Marinette, all she could think about was getting away so she could transform but the car was going too fast.

"Sorry Marinette but as long as she's after you, you're not safe and the further we get you away from our friends, the safer they are, I'll take you to my house to hide out", replied Adrien.

"Oh… thankyou… but I don't want to put you in any danger, I should really go", she tried,

"I think we should just lay low and let Ladybug and Chat Noir handle this", he said, taking a hold of her hands that she was trying the door with. She froze and stared into his eyes, Adrien stared back and thought about how he'd never noticed how pretty she was, he almost came out with a cheesy one liner before remembering he wasn't Chat Noir right now, he was Adrien Agreste and he had to act like it.

"What if… Ladybug's busy?" Said Marinette lamely,

"Don't worry Marinette, Ladybug always turns up and saves the day", he answered, Marinette smiled in a worried sort of way, when the limousine came to a halt.

"We're here, let's get inside!" Adrien ordered, throwing open the door and pulling out Marinette behind him, he needed to put her somewhere safe so he could get away and transform but he didn't dare leave her alone until she was inside.

"Going somewhere?" came a voice from above, Adrien and Marinette looked up at the hovering villain who looked down to see the pair holding hands and gasped then scowled angrily and shot hearts from her hands that Adrien managed to dodge, yanking Marinette inside behind him. His driver, however, was not so lucky and as the hearts landed upon him he turned to Chloe and smiled sweetly.

"So beautiful!" He cooed,

"Get them!" Ordered Chloe, the driver nodded and turned to the door to discover it had been locked and started pounding on it furiously.

Inside Marinette stared at the banging door in shock and looked at Adrien, how was she going to get him away for long enough to turn into Ladybug? She tried to rack her brain but she was so distracted by the fact he was still holding her hand all she could do was picture him pulling her in close and kissing her.

"Stop it!" She scolded herself,

"What?" Asked Adrien, looking confused,

"Erm… we need to find a way to stop it", Marinette replied,

"I think for now we need to find a place for you to hide!" Adrien said, pulling her up the impressive, white stair case of his mansion home and into what Marinette recognised as his bedroom from her previous appearances here as Ladybug in other Akuma situations.

"Are you kids okay?" Came a voice, it was Nathalie, Adrien's, father's assistant, she stepped inside looking concerned.

"There's an Akumatised student out there trying to hurt my friend", explained Adrien, "Could you stay here with her?

"Where are you going?" Asked Marinette with a concerned voice,

"Don't worry, I'm just going to activate the security system, it won't take a second", smiled Adrien, "you'll be safe in here".

"If you're going out there I'm going with you", she said stubbornly, tightening her grip on his hand,

"I promise you, you won't get hurt Marinette", he soothed,

"I'm worried you'll be the one to get hurt trying to save me!" She replied, "I can't let anything happen to you", the words were out before she could stop them, Adrien looked at her shocked but it softened into a friendly smile, he quite liked the idea that Marinette cared about him.

"You're quite brave aren't you?" He asked,

"Sorry, I just-"

"Don't apologise, I like it", he replied, Marinette turned scarlet and Adrien broke his grip on her and ran out of the room, Marinette looked after him, panic on her face but he was gone before she could react and Nathalie had already run to her side to hold her back.

"Don't worry", said Nathalie kindly, "it's you the Akumatised student is after, he'll be okay",

Marinette felt helpless, she couldn't transform in front of Nathalie and she couldn't keep her Adrien safe either, her mind started running riot with thoughts of him becoming caught or injured by Breathless Beauty and panic washed over her, she had to find a way to transform.

Out in the hall way Adrien looked around to ensure no one could see him, feeling satisfied that the coast was clear and he was away from any of the security cameras, he smiled to himself and said,

"Claws out!"

In a whoosh the small, black cat that was his Kwami, went flying from his bag into his white ring, turning it black. Almost simultaneously, a black, leather suit and a pair of pointed, black cat's ears appeared on his body, transforming him into the dark hero, Chat Noir.

He flexed his clawed fingers and gave the golden bell around his neck a little flick before turning and bounding back down the stairs to look for their newest villain and hopefully, to see his beautiful Ladybug. There was a guilty part of him that almost looked forward to the attacks on Paris because he knew he could spend time with his love, even if he didn't know who she was and even if she didn't know she was his love.

"Nathalie", said Marinette, "I just need to use the bathroom", she started toward the ensuite bathroom, ready to change and help Chat Noir defeat their latest foe, before Nathalie said,

"I'm afraid you're going to have to hold it, there's a plumber coming to fix that toilet today, it's broken",

"Erm… then I'd better head out and find a working one", tried Marinette, heading for the door.

"You will stay here!" Commanded Nathalie, stepping in front of Marinette, taking her by the shoulders and walking her over to the sofa where she was forced to take a seat. "Where I can see you".

"That's the one thing I need you not to do", Marinette mumbled to herself.

Just then there was a rumble and the window of Adrien's room exploded inward, Nathalie screamed and Marinette jumped in front of her, covering the pair of them from the shards.

A hoard of love struck people began piling into the room, they'd created a human pyramid outside the window and had hammered their way through as Breathless-Beauty came floating in behind them, a victorious smile on her face.

"Come to me my little Marinette!" She ordered,

The hoard grabbed Marinette, pulling her across the room, Marinette tried to pull away but they had her pinned on the ground before Chloe, who floated down gleefully.

"Hold her head!" She commanded, her admirers pulled Marinette's hair back, forcing her to look up, she scowled at Chloe who leaned forward and placed a gentle peck on Marinette's lips.

At first Marinette just stared, confused before she felt her mouth go dry, her throat went tight and she couldn't take a single breath. She wheezed and choked, desperately trying to get air into her lungs but it was no good, Chloe laughed mercilessly as Marinette's face turned blue and she fell, still and lifeless onto Adrien's bedroom floor.

"And that takes care of her! Now to find my prince charming", said Breathless-Beauty", hovering out of the room, followed by her hoard.

Nathalie threw herself onto the floor and turned Marinette onto her back,

"Oh god, no!" She cried, placing her ear to Marinette's mouth to try and hear her breath. She began CPR but Marinette lay still, her unseeing eyes wide and staring.

"What happened?" Cried Chat, Nathalie span around to see Chat standing over them, a look of horror on his face.

"They came in through the window", cried Nathalie, I don't know what to do, she won't wake!"

"Go call an ambulance!" Shouted Chat, Nathalie ran out of the room while Chat Noir kneeled beside Marinette's body, tears sprung in his eyes.

"I promised you'd be safe", he whispered, putting his arms around her and holding her to his chest. Where was his Ladybug? He couldn't do this without her, how could she still not be here?

He looked down and racked his brains for something to do, some way to fix things.

"I can't end the spell without my Lady", he said but then his eyes opened wide, he remembered Lady bug telling him, when he was infected by an Akumatised villain she had to break the spell by kissing him, love conquers all. He looked down at Marinette, could she be like sleeping beauty or snow white, in a death-like sleep?

"Here goes", he said, bowing his head and pressing his lips against hers.

At first, he just waited then suddenly he heard a small gasp, her lips became warm and softer and she let out a sigh. He felt a hand touch the side of his face and the kiss pressed back against him, he instinctively parted his lips slightly and felt her do the same, their kiss deepening as he tightened his grip around her. As her arms came up further around his neck he felt her press her body to him and moan a little which caused him to moan back in reciprocation, their peck now a passionate and desperate kiss, her finger nails digging into him and he felt his nerves sparking and tingling with excitement, he felt hungry for her, needed her!

Suddenly they broke apart, both of them breathless, wide eyed, staring at one another in utter shock, what had come over them? Chat had no idea why he'd kissed her like that, he knew Marinette was pretty but he'd never thought of her like that, the only person he'd ever thought of like that was his Ladybug but now as he looked down into her beautiful eyes, his lips still tingling from their kiss, he felt like he wanted to do it again.

Marinette stared helplessly at Chat, what was she doing? Why had she kissed him? She'd woken from whatever Chloe had done to her and she'd felt him there or at least she'd felt someone there and as she'd flickered her eyes and seen the outline of Chat Noir and his pointed ears and realised it was him kissing her, for some reason she'd been overcome with relief, excitement, she'd thought she was dead and then there he was, always there to save her, his safe arms around her, kissing her. She'd needed him, wanted to never stop kissing him and then… reality hit… and she'd pulled away… but to her utter confusion, the feeling hadn't gone, even now she was fully awake and aware, she wanted him to kiss her again… she blinked and gasped as she realised… she wanted Chat Noir!

"I'm… I'm… Oh god!" She cried, leaping from his arms and fleeing for the bathroom, slamming the door closed and locking it behind her.

"Marinette!" Cried Chat, running after her and trying the door then defeatedly banging his fist against it.

What had he been thinking? Sure, it had worked but to keep kissing her like that, without her permission, what was wrong with him? And now she was scared and locked on a bathroom like he was some kind of crazed sex criminal.

"Marinette, I'm so sorry, please come out!" He called through the door, "I promise I won't touch you".

Marinette was hyperventilating in the bathroom, what was she going to do?

"Marinette, calm down!" Came a small voice, Marinette looked down to see Tiki, her Kwami, staring up at her with concerned eyes.

"I don't think I can!" Whispered Marinette, "I… I don't know how to feel!"

"Marinette, I understand, you're shocked and upset but right now you've got an Akuma to catch and Chat Noir doesn't know your Ladybug".

Marinette nodded, pulling her wits together and with a stern expression said, "Tiki, spots on!"

The Little, red Kwami fused with Marinette's earrings, creating the magic that transformed Marinette into the heroine, Ladybug.

"Marinette, please, I'm so sorry!" Came the voice of Chat Noir again,

"I'm okay, I just need to be alone!" She called back before opening the bathroom window and using her yoyo to go swinging outside.

Chat was still leaning against the door when Ladybug appeared at the bedroom window beside him, he looked so worried and Marinette felt a pang of guilt at letting him believe she was still hiding from him inside.

"Good evening Chaton", she said, leaning on the window frame, Chat's head spun around to see his Ladybug standing there, watching him curiously with large, blue eyes.

"Ladybug!" He said in surprise, "you're a little late to the show, aren't you?"

"Sorry Kittycat, I had some other super hero business to attend to, but I'm here now, let's get going",

"I… erm… there's a civilian, still in this bathroom", he pointed to the door, looking guilty.

"Well… she'll be safe in there for now, let's get the Akuma and come back for her at the end, okay?" Suggested Ladybug, hoping he'd agree,

"…Okay", Chat replied reluctantly.

They had found Breathless Beauty outside, still looking for Adrien with her adoring fans trailing after her, looking up in wonderment. After a heated battle Marinette had managed to use her yoyo to tie Breathless to a tree while Chat had swiped her necklace, throwing it to Ladybug to smash beneath her feet.

Once the world had been restored Ladybug disappeared with barely a word, knowing she had to leave via Adrien's bathroom so she could unlock the door. She managed to slip outside undetected but saw Chat Noir seemed to be headed for the bathroom too and had to duck behind a statue in the hallway to avoid him.

Adrien didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to Ladybug before she was off again, he wondered what superhero business she could possibly have that didn't involve him, though he didn't have time to worry about that. Usually Ladybug was the only thing on his mind but right now all he could think about was kissing Marinette, scaring Marinette, being guilty and sorry and having to make sure she was okay but also being guilty because he so desperately wanted to do it again.

He stepped into his bedroom and headed for the bathroom door only to see it hanging open and Marinette was nowhere to be found, she'd gone, and he didn't know why but he knew he had to see her, explain himself. It suddenly felt very important indeed that Marinette was not upset with him, that she liked him, the only consolation was that she'd seemed to care about his other self as Adrien Agreste.

He decided the best thing to do was to go and see her, right now, before things were left too long and they got awkward. Steeling his resolve to his decision he turned and leapt from his bedroom window, swinging away, across the town and toward the balcony of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

He didn't live that far away and found himself at her home in no time, the balcony door was unlocked but he paused and knocked, afraid to frighten her again. There was no response so he tried again then decided she must be out somewhere.

"That's fine", he told himself, "I can just wait, it's totally fine… I can wait inside and when she gets back I'll tell her it was all a mistake and I got caught up in the moment and that I'd never hurt her because she's beautiful- well not because she's beautiful, but she is beautiful, but that's not why I wouldn't hurt her, I wouldn't hurt her because I'm a good guy and I'd never hurt anyone… damn… this is going to be difficult", he put his head in his hands and groaned before pushing open the balcony door and stepping inside.

"I'll just say, hey, sorry I kissed you, you were under a spell, that's the truth after all", he rubbed the back of his neck like he always did if he was nervous or stressed, how was he going to make this right?

Just then he heard the noise of someone coming up the stairs and panic hit him.

What was he thinking? She'd come home after being kissed against her will by Chat Noir and then he appeared in her bedroom, uninvited, probably to attack her again! This was a terrible idea, he had to get out! But as the trap door opened and Chat realised he was out of time, he leapt into the cupboard, closing the door behind him, just as Marinette came into view.

Marinette had run home, she hadn't been able to move as fast as she could when she was Ladybug, leaping from roof top to roof top but she didn't live that far and she was happy to be in the privacy of her own bedroom again.

She'd felt so overcome when she'd kissed Chat, it was like, without knowing it, she'd been waiting for that moment, electric, destined, perfect… just how she'd always imagined it would feel to kiss Adrien…

"Oh Adrien", she said to herself, feeling suddenly guilty, not that she had any reason to feel guilty… after all, it's not like he thought of her in that way.

Chat's ears pricked up, he'd planned to wait in silence and do his best not to look or listen until Marinette left the room and then leave, unseen, but the sound of his name caught his attention and he turned to look through the slatted panels of the wardrobe door. He could see Marinette, her face on her desk, her arms over her head, she looked sad which made him feel worse.

"Why did I kiss Chat?" She asked herself out loud, "Why did I… not stop?"

Chat leaned in a little closer, his heart beating faster, she kissed him? But he thought she'd perhaps been dazed and hadn't realized, that she'd kissed back out of confusion… had she kissed him because she'd wanted to kiss him?

Marinette thought about talking to Tiki but she was downstairs in the bakery, stuffing cookies into her mouth while Marinette's parents were out.

She rose from her chair and walked over to her bed, throwing herself backwards and sighing, she thought about Chat's bright, green eyes, sparkling back at her when she'd looked up at him, she thought about the feel of his soft blonde hair and his gloved hands as they slid over her shoulders and around her waist, pulling her in tight and kissing her in that… needful way. The memory sent sparks through her body and made her tingle with yearning, yearning that she could not beat back down. She wanted him to kiss her again, she wanted him to do whatever would have come next if they'd been alone and she hadn't run away.

She felt the torn strap of her top and sat up to pull it over her head, throwing it onto the ground and then her jeans which had been torn at the knee.

Adrien gulped and had to try harder to keep his breathing quiet as he watched Marinette begin to remove her clothes, she lay back down on her bed and seemed to be thinking but then started stroking her neck and thigh, breathing a little more raggedly than before.

Marinette felt the touch of her skin and wondered how it would feel to have Chat's hands on her body, would it be similar to her own? What would it be like to have him hold her again now, when she was lying here with next to nothing on?

Adrien tried to pull his eyes away, this was wrong, the only thing on her body was a pair of red, cotton panty's and he knew he shouldn't look at her exposed body but she was so perfect, so beautiful. Slowly he saw her hand stroking back up her thigh and across her stomach and then down again, disappearing into her underwear, her other hand moving down to her breast and her thumb starting to move backwards and forwards over her nipple.

"Oh Chat", she moaned softly,

At that moment Chat panicked and burst from the cupboard, Marinette Screamed and fell off her bed and then leapt to her feet again as Chat spoke.

"Nope, no, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", he said, holding his hands in front of him to block his view and turning his head, "I came in to apologize, about what happened before but I panicked that you wouldn't want me in your room so I hid and now… oh god, I'm so sorry!"

"You're in my room!" Screamed Marinette, snatching up her torn shirt to cover her chest and tripping slightly, falling into Chat, who was still looking away and was knocked to the floor with Marinette on top of him.

The pair stared at each other, mortified, Marinette's breasts only hidden because they were pushed up against Chat's chest, her leg's either side of him, their faces only centimetres apart.

"You said my name", Chat suddenly said, surprising himself,

"…No… no I didn't", lied Marinette, turning bright pink all over,

"Yes, you did", he said again, a small smile starting to spread across his face, "You're not mad at me",

"Mad at you?" Asked Marinette, confused.

"You said my name", he said again, his smile suddenly turning lustful, Marinette pulled herself up, putting and arm across her chest but Chat moved upward to, following her, practically nose to nose until he was sat with his legs out and his back straight while she sat on his lap, straddling him.

Very slowly and tentatively Chat moved his hand toward Marinette's face, pausing beside her cheek like he were afraid she might shatter. Finally, he placed it there, and for some reason Marinette could not place, it caused her to gasp a little, the mere presence of his touch making her skin prickle with excitement.

Chat leaned forward, he let his lips brush against Marinette's, yearning to kiss her deeply, like before, but still afraid of doing something she didn't want.

Marinette could feel his breath on her lips and involuntarily moved her hips forward making her eyes go wide as she felt Chat had gone hard beneath her. The urgent need she'd had for him before suddenly exploded into a burning, consuming fire and she pressed her mouth to his, hard and fast.

Chat let a sound of shock escape his lips as Marinette kissed him then, as though this is what he'd been waiting for, he rolled them both over, flipping Marinette against the bedroom floor so he was on top of her, one hand in her hair, the other around her waist.

She brought her hands up to hold his face and he let his own slide down her neck and around her breast, dragging his thumb gently backward and forward over her nipple like he had seen her do to herself. She groaned into his mouth and he ground his hips into her, pressing his length against her and making her thrust back, sounds of pleasure escaping her with every touch.

"Marinette!"

The pair jumped at the sound, breaking apart their kiss and looking at the trap door in fright, it was Marinette's parents, home already.

"I… erm… yes!" Marinette called out, suddenly feeling the need to cover herself again and blushing.

"Just checking you're home!" Came her father's voice.

Marinette scrambled to her feet and brushed her fingers through her hair in a distressed manner, what had she been thinking? Well she hadn't, she'd been fantasising and letting her hormones get the better of her.

"I… should go?" Said Chat, he looked like he wasn't sure what to do, Marinette nodded meekly and turned to grab her dressing gown but her wrist was caught by Chat who pulled her back toward him and landed a delicate peck on her lips before disappearing through the balcony door.

"Marinette!" Came a small voice, Marinette turned to see Tiki wizzing toward her.

"Tiki!" Replied Marinette,

"I heard you screaming and came upstairs but when I saw Chat Noir I hid and… are you involved with Char Noir?" Squeaked the little red Kwami.

"No!" Replied Marinette, "I mean… I don't think so… I just… oh Tiki", cried Marinette, "I don't know what to think, he just turned up and I can hardly think straight near him anymore".

"Don't worry Marinette, it's okay if you like Chat", soothed Tiki, "I just thought you liked Adrien",

"I do! I just… what happened with Chat just… happened, I think I need to get some rest",

And with that Marinette climbed under her covers and closed her eyes.

Her Kwami opened her mouth to say something but decided to leave things as they were until later.

"Marinette?... Marinette?"

Marinette blinked and looked up at Alya who was watching her with concern,

"Are you even listening?" Alya asked,

"I'm sorry Alya, I'm a little bit distracted", replied Marinette,

"A little bit?" Scoffed Alya, "You've been staring into space all morning, now come on, class is starting soon and I really want to get just the quickest interview with you after your Akuma attack yesterday".

"Okay", agreed Marinette, "I'll focus, ask away", said Marinette, turning to face Alya who lifted her phone and pressed record.

"So, Marinette", began Alya, "Yesterday you were the target of an Akumatised villain, Breathless Beauty, and were saved by none other than our two hero's, Ladybug and Chat Noir",

"Yes", answered Marinette, looking nervous, "Yes I was".

"Did you get to spend much time with the dynamic duo?"

"Erm… not a lot", stuttered Marinette, "They were busy, you know, fighting…"

"No up close and personal accounts?" pressed Alya,

"Well, I mean, I got to see them in action which was great", smiled Marinette, "They were… fast".

"Fast?"

"Yes… super hero fast and… Chat Noir was so busy I barely saw him at all",

"…riiiight", Alya looked a little disappointed but continued anyway, "this isn't the first time you've been rescued by Chat Noir, is it?"

"No… he's always there for me… I mean, for us, for Paris", Marinette turned red, shifting on her feet uncomfortably.

"Well I'm sure a lot of girls would have liked to have been in your place, anything you'd like to say to the heart throb hero?"

"What? No! That's crazy, it's not like he knows me or anything, we'd have nothing to talk about!"

Alya put down her phone and stared at Marinette suspiciously.

"Okay girl, you're being weirder than usual and that's saying something, what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Lied Marinette, "You're just asking what I'd say to someone I don't even know, that's weird, not me",

"Did something happen that you're not telling me?" Asked Alya, raising an eyebrow,

"Did you hear that?" Replied Marinette, "the bell went!" and with that Marinette started running toward the school steps.

"No, it didn't!" Called Alya, running behind her.

Once in class Marinette took her seat, Alya begrudgingly took hers too, in silence, deciding that Marinette would talk eventually.

"Oh look, if it isn't thing one and thing two", laughed Chloe with her friend Sabrina.

"Do you ever take a day off?" Asked Alya,

"Does Marinette ever wear outfits she didn't find in a bin?" Replied Chloe, nastily.

"Why don't you leave her alone, Chloe?"

Chloe and Alya both looked at Adrien, surprised, he was usually so quiet and was the last to rise to Chloe's goading but he was practically scowling at her.

"Yeah Chloe", added Nino, Adrien's friend, "you can be way harsh",

"It's not Marinette's fault if she's talented or pretty or whatever reason it is that you're always picking on her and I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all pretty bored of listening too it".

Chloe looked like she'd been slapped before folding her arms in a frustrated manner and sitting angrily back in her seat.

Marinette had turned bright pink, Adrien had just called her talented and pretty, her Adrien, the boy she'd been crazy about for the past two years!

She looked, open mouthed at Alya who grinned excitedly and nudged Marinette in a congratulatory way.

Adrien turned sheepishly and looked up at Marinette, he too was blushing and smiled weakly.

"Sorry Marinette, I didn't mean to get involved", he said.

"Oh… it's erm… it's, it's fine", she felt like her head was going to pop off like a cork in a bottle, she was so overcome with excitement and anxiety and surprise.

When it was time to leave class Marinette hadn't done a single thing, her mind had spent all lesson thinking about Adrien calling her pretty and then Chat Noir kissing her and then Adrien Kissing her and Chat on top of her in her bedroom and then Adrien on top of her in her bedroom and then trying to forget it and focus, but the memory of her first real encounter with a boy was far too powerful a feeling to push aside.

"Marinette, we're done!" Shouted Alya for the third time, Marinette jumped and started snatching up her things and pushing them down into her bag.

"Oh, yeah, sorry Alya", she started heading for the door and had escaped outside so fast that Alya practically had to run to keep up with her.

"Where's the fire girl?"

"Oh… I erm…", began Marinette,

"Marinette!" came the voice of Adrien, the pair looked up to see Adrien waving over to them, he started jogging toward the pair and Marinette almost turned and ran the other way.

"Mari, calm down!" Commanded Alya, holding her by the arm.

"Hey Marinette", said Adrien, he looked down at his shoes and then up at her face, smiling hopefully.

"H-hey", squeaked Marinette.

"I was wondering if… you'd like to come… watch a movie with me?" he asked, barely making eye contact,

"A movie?" was all Marinette could manage, was this real, was it a trick?

"Yeah, I've got pretty much everything and-"

"Wait, you've got… like a movie at your house?" Asked Marinette,

"Well, yeah… if you want".

"Me and Alya and Nino?"

"No… just you and me", he looked her in the eyes this time, there was something so familiar there that started Marinette's heart racing a thousand beats a second, she felt like she was falling from a great height.

"Like a date?" Asked Alya, Marinette gave Alya a look of utter shock but Alya just smiled back and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Well I was hoping it wouldn't be like a date", said Adrien, Marinette wasn't sure if she felt disappointed or relieved, "I was hoping it would actually be a date", he explained.

"Yes", Marinette had answered before she could even think, it was like a force outside of herself had accepted the invitation rather than herself but Adrien smiled in a satisfied way at her, letting her know it was definitely her who had spoken.

"Great", he beamed, "would you like to come in the car with me or do you want to come over later?"

"I'll… I'll come over later", said Marinette, "About six?"

"See you at six", Adrien replied before leaning in and giving Marinette a peck on her cheek, then he turned and headed to his limousine.

" . !" Said Alya, looking completely amazed, "You have a date with Adrien Agreste!"

"Yes", said Marinette, nodding, "I do… I have a date with… Adrien Agreste?" She suddenly looked horrified, "Oh my god! Alya, I have a date with Adrien Agreste! What do I do?" Panicked Marinette, dropping her bag and starting to run back and forth.

"Marinette!" Said Alya, grabbing her by the shoulders to still her, "you go home, get showered and changed and then you go to that boy's house and have the best damn date of your life!"

"But Alya, it's the only date of my life!" Complained Marinette, "What if I do something awful, what if I knock over something expensive in his house or I don't know which fork to use at dinner and I'm thrown out and told never to come back again and then he marries Chloe and I die alone in a skip full of cats!?"

Alya looked at her with an exasperated expression and sighed,

"Marinette, it's not that difficult, just be you and if he tries to kiss you I'm sure you'll figure it out".

Marinette smiled awkwardly, knowing she'd already figured out how to kiss the night before.

The friends parted ways and Marinette ran home, once she was safely in her bedroom Tiki flew from her purse.

"Marinette, I can't believe you've got a date with Adrien!" Tiki cried,

"I know", gasped Marinette,

"But… what about Chat Noir?" Asked Tiki, "you were both pretty close the other day",

"I know", this time Marinette sounded wretched, "I know it makes me a terrible person and I do like Chat, kissing him was… but it's Adrien, Tiki! I've waited for Adrien to notice me in that way for so long! And now he's finally asked me out and if I don't do it I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life! How can I even think about Chat Noir if I'm always wondering about Adrien?"

"It's a difficult situation Marinette but I do think you owe it to yourself to find out how Adrien feels… just don't let yourself get caught up with the two of them, you'll end up upsetting yourself and two people you care about".

Marinette nodded at her Kwami's wise words and began to get ready for her date.